A whole year passed in Lake Borough.

Waverly turned thirteen in the winter and Judson - fourteen earlier on. The pair spent a lot of the year together having blissful fun in any way they could. They would venture into the small forest located far behind HalfHyde's house just near the foot of the mountains - a place they nicknamed The Haven.

Judson regrew the empty fields near the forest into orchards because he wanted to make it easier for the smaller animals to find food there. He mastered a funny trick of turning most of the trees a different color at their roots. Whenever he did so, he and Waverly would hide and watch the rabbits, squirrels and other small animals inch cautiously out of their burrows to gaze bafflingly at the drastic yet interesting change.

Inside The Haven, Waverly felt safe and happy. She learned to climb trees and catch the falling snow on her finger tips in the winter and to carve small images out of timber and make food wrappings out of leaves during spring. She also learned to cook a few meals - a skill she learned from Judson. She devoted time to practicing how to fight better with Calaire (the magical crescent weapon that had once been a woolen bassinet from her childhood). She had received it as a sort of parting gift from her mother the year before.

HalfHyde taught her new sword skills with it since it was not a sword and Waverly had never learned to use any other weapon.

On such practice days, Judson would pretend to be an attacker. His only task though was to firmly hold up a large stick on which Waverly practiced new strikes. A lot of times she had kicked or struck with too much force that knocked him to the ground but they would laugh this off as long as he was not hurt.

As the year progressed, Waverly found that she subconsciously watched out for signs of a war; a disturbance, an attack, a missing townsperson- anything at all to indicate the beginning of her worst nightmare and the end of the almost perfect life she had now.

But nothing unusual ever happened.

The year before she had gone on a quest to rescue her mother and received a vision of an  impending war that would supposedly reflect the destruction of lives from the Great War over a thousand years ago.

Waverly worked hard in training as much as possible because she feared that the said war could begin at any time but on most of those training days when nothing looked to be wrong or out of place, she would spend time playing with Judson instead; taking hikes with him to the foot of the mountain where they would grow beautiful flowers to make the place look more homey or visit The Temple of Alluna; the place where her mother had lived with her father more than thirty years ago; the same place she had been conceived and born. Waverly held a great respect for the Temple even though it was ruined down to the very foundation.

On one particular gardening day, they had found a secret tunnel. After a purposeful search, they found more of these hidden tunnels scattered about the mountains. These passages, they learned, led directly into a wide forest that bordered Lake Borough from another town called Breighum and three more towns named Juven, Emponia and Everglade; each one about a few short miles away from the other.

Waverly made Judson promise he would never tell a soul about their discovery and she promised the same thing as well. She hated to think what HalfHyde would do if he found out that she had been sneaking into Breighum to buy more cotton sugar because the small town flourished in the production of it.

On other uneventful days, Waverly would visit the Elf Pepinguild and check on her old ship Estoso. She (Estoso) was still a marvel and people would still stare at her in awe until they bonked their faces against a tree or a perching street pole.

Waverly also took a lot of refresh lessons from HalfHyde. Her quest the previous year would have been a complete failure had she relied on her own intelligence. Thankfully, Judson had snuck along and saved her a couple of times. They had both discovered their parentage along the way. Judson was a son of Spring; a child of Juniper, the goddess of Nature; while Waverly was the daughter of Selene, goddess of the moon.

To no surprise, Judson accepted his new identity wholeheartedly. In fact, he became a little more confident and outspoken because of it. He progressively stopped using gestures to communicate. He would go around town helping farmers with their crops and showing them the proper way to harvest. Little by little, the town of Lake Borough became at ease with him though oblivious to the knowledge that his mother was Mother Nature herself.

He no longer made them uncomfortable as he had done before. They called to him whenever they needed help with their gardens or with medicine. Judson, who had only been learning how to make healing potions the year before, became so greatly good at it that sick people would often come to his treehouse for prescriptions.

It pleased Waverly to see him so at ease and carefree. He became more alive and well although he still looked as wee and scrawny as always. Waverly tried oftentimes to teach him to use a sword for defense purposes but he refused and said that he would rather resolve to talk himself out of a conflict (which always worked to Waverly's surprise).

HalfHyde also learned to be comfortable having Judson around (although he was still in disagreement with Waverly's closeness to him). He allowed the boy visit her sometimes and even permitted their moon gazing. He was a little shocked to hear that Judson was the son of Juniper but accepted it nohow.

Meanwhile, Waverly heard no word from the King or his Council about the news of war she had brought them. She was thankful that the war was being delayed somehow for whatever reason that it was. She had accommodated the essence of Oculmus, the primordial force of Chaos, into herself during her last quest and was unfortunate to have taken a glimpse into the godhead's plan for world domination. Thinking on it now, Waverly could barely remember the details but she faintly recalled that he had intended on storming Bremeton at some point.

She still experienced mares about her encounter. Mares that took the sleep out of her eyes for weeks without end. Waverly refused to tell anyone how she had managed to contain and expel The Emperor in a bid to release her mother. In truth, she could not remember at all. The memory had vanished entirely as if Oculmus himself had willed her to forget how she had done it. For her own peace of mind, she decided to forget about the events of the past year (except the part about meeting her mother which was a most glorious encounter for her). Her goal was to focus on the good year that had come and all the good things that came with it.

On a lovely summer afternoon, Waverly ventured into the local market to purchase a few foodstuffs for home and new timber for carving. The market was bustling with activity as usual and the noise was so great that it drowned out the sound of the chirping birds and rushing waves in the harbour. The cobbled roads gave an interesting amount of clip-clops as two or more hoofsteps marched across it in succession. The King's guards were on patrol as usual on their individual horses. Waverly took this to mean that King Asherah had indeed taken the news of a possible war seriously. Usually, guards were stationed at important entries and exits in the town but today they were swarming all over the place making the market streets even more crowded than normal.

Waverly headed to a stall where a young Elfin sold and sharpened carving knives. The roof of the stall was a lot of inches higher than Waverly's head but for the Elfin, it looked like a mere headdress and Waverly guessed that the girl was no older than sixteen. She drew out her knife - her short sword which had gone dull - as she arrived the stall and placed it on the table.

"How much to sharpen one blade?" Asked Waverly.

The Elfin examined the knife, placed it on a weighing scale then put it down. She leisurely rested both hands on the table and smiled, revealing her silver stained teeth. Her black dress looked incredibly lightweight, like spider webs and the gentle afternoon breeze was able to lift it as high as the nape of her neck.

"S'camrén! Yuti dyak blassē évual!" The Elfin replied in local Alp. (Useless! The blade has no value)

Waverly scoffed and pushed the blade toward her. "Of course. Your job is to make sure the value of the blade returns. Name the price!"

The girl rolled her big eyes which made them look like they would fall out. "Siye veél Elvén." (Six Elven coins)

Waverly gave a blank smile and dipped her hand into her pocket to fish out the coins. The Elfin set to work and began to sharpen the dull blade whilst Waverly watched a couple of Gypsies perform easy magic tricks for a small crowd of onlookers.

As she looked on, a blur of white to her left distracted her causing her gaze to shift. It was Judson who approached. He fumbled with leaves in a very small basket and kept looking about as if wary of a stalker.

Waverly waited until their eyes met before she beckoned on him. When he came closer, she spotted streaks of sweat lining his forehead. He looked as if he would collapse the next minute. She suddenly desired to scold him for working so much - he had spent the entire week healing tons of sick people and plants that his fingers now trembled hopelessly - but thought the better of it.

"Jud? Why do you look so restless?" She asked.

Judson's eyes uncomfortably flickered to the Elfin then back to Waverly. He shook his head and stole a glance at the girl again. It took Waverly a minute to understand. It had been so long since he communicated that way.

"Oh!" She realized. "Later!"

After wiping the blade clean and wrapping it in a small green cloth, the Elfin handed it to Waverly who in turn handed her six Elven coins.

She jingled the money in her fist and cooed with a knowing smile. "Ti pasat méti!" (The time comes)

Waverly froze and turned to the girl who still had an innocent smile on. She realized she had not really seen the Elfin around before even though she spent a lot of her time going in and out of the market.

"What did you say?" She asked.

The Elfin's smile remained, her silvery teeth grinding together slowly as though she chewed on something strong. Her lovely brown eyes flashed green for a fleeting moment.

"Brace yourself!"

Waverly turned to Judson, wondering if he had heard but he looked to be captivated by the Gypsies and their magic tricks. She turned to the Elfin again who simply winked as though they both shared a naughty secret.

She was about to speak when a man came with his own blade for sharpening. Instead, she took Judson's hand and they walked back home. On the way, he retold what had happened during his healing session with a Human named Bertha.

"She owned two flower vases. Really big ones." He was saying. He sounded a bit impressed by the size of Bertha's vases.

Waverly lifted her eyebrows. "And?"

Judson shook his basket so that the leaves in it wiggled about. They were basil and he often tried to avoid touching them directly. They were so green that they shone like polished marbles. His nature powers sometimes overdid it.

"She complained that the flowers were refusing to grow so I tried to heal them but when I touched them. . . ." He reached out with his free hand as though he could see the flowers in the air.

"What happened?" Waverly frowned. She hated suspense above all else.

Judson gulped. ". . . They died."

Waverly's frown deepened. She wanted to ask why the plants died but she could see how Judson's face was already contorting into a sad one. He hated it when plants died and worst of all, when he could do nothing to save them.

"Maybe they were already dying. Maybe there was nothing you could have done." She offered in a flat tone. Her head was void of any cheerful things to say.

Judson shook his head defiantly. They began to cross the lake together but he stopped to scoop up the water to wash his face. Waverly knelt next to him. The hot summer breeze made the lake smell like the local fire bath and something sweet that reminded her of bananas.

"You do not understand." He said gazing intensely at his reflection.

"What do you mean?" She queried, holding up her own basket to keep the supplies inside them from spilling over into the water.

It took Judson a time of silent struggle before he finally could speak again. "I killed them."

Waverly felt the air go still. She was so dumbstruck that she subconsciously allowed her basket tip over and a nail toppled into the lake. That single plop was so loud that she was certain all the neighboring towns heard it. Judson stared at the water, his hands gripping the stones he knelt on until his knuckles turned red. She was not sure what dripped off of him; water, sweat or tears.

"How can you be certain?" She asked. The air seemed to move again. The noise of the surrounding returned.

He lifted his head. The curls in his hair was sloppy from his face wash and they clung to his forehead. His grey eyes looked darker than usual.

"I am sure."

"B-But you cannot kill plants. You save them!" Waverly attested.

Judson sighed morosely.

"And yet. . . . "

He looked down and gently touched the basils in his miniature basket. The leaves shivered and withered until they turned grey like fire ashes. Slowly, the breeze picked them up and scattered them around.

Waverly watched them in disbelief, her mouth hanging open like a letter O. She gazed at Judson. His expression was unreadable but the skin on his forehead creased tightly. She recognized that he only did that when he had figured out the solution to a problem or the problem itself.

"Do you know what is causing this?" She asked carefully.

Judson nodded grimly.

Waverly suddenly heard the voice of the strange Elfin in the back of her mind like the gentle trickling of hot olive oil.

Brace yourself.

Judson's eyes locked with hers. He suddenly looked exhausted.

"I am dying!"

Waverly ran upstairs to HalfHyde. He was hunched over his study scribbling away on a parchment and placing scrolls and books into piles. His glasses touched the very end of his nose and gave him a remarkably scholastic look.

"Pa!" She screamed as she flew up the last few steps, reaching for the doorknob even before she had gotten close to it.

HalfHyde turned on his elbow and frowned as she burst into the room. "Whatever is it that ye causes a ruckus for, screaming for me in that manner?"

Waverly panted heavily but that did not stop her from telling her father about Judson's condition. As she spoke, HalfHyde rose from his chair. For once, he looked very disturbed. Even though he did not particularly like Judson, he would not sit back and allow any serious harm come to the boy.

"Bring me to him!" He ordered and Waverly led the way to Judson's tree house.

Waverly never thought there was a reason on earth that could draw HalfHyde into Judson's treehouse but as she watched him climb up the stairs, she realized her father was not as hard hearted as he claimed to be.

Inside, Judson lay still on his bed. The breeze caused the bed to sway gently sideways as if it danced to the rhythm of a lullaby. Judson's eyes were shut in pain and he was covered in sweat. Waverly went to kneel beside him. She wiped the perspiration off his forehead and retreated her fingers quickly.

"Oy!" She winced while flapping her fingers midair. Steam rose from where her skin had made contact.

"What was that?" HalfHyde asked balancing his spectacles to peer at her.

"He burned me." Waverly replied.

She did not sound angry or irritated. Instead, she sounded alarmed. She could remember a time when Judson's skin had become so hot. He had made use of his black wing to fly them out of the ocean to the bridge of Bridge.

"A burn!" HalfHyde hummed as he reached out to touch Judson's skin. He pulled a stool and sat next to the bed then ordered Waverly to fill a bowl with cool water and bring a clean washcloth with her. When she had done so he soaked the cloth and began to wipe Judson's face with it, muttering quietly.

Judson's eyes fluttered open when the wet material touched his skin. Waverly went to kneel on the other side of the bed and took his hand. They were steaming but she did not care this time.

"You will get better, I promise!" She choked.

HalfHyde watched her but said nothing of her reaction. "The boy keeps medicine, no? Wherever in here tis place does he do so?"

Waverly pointed to the kitchen without looking. HalfHyde went over and grabbed a few medicinal leaves to fill a basket. It did not take time to find the other items he needed. Judson was so orderly that it was impossible to search for any object in his treehouse longer than a second.

"Such particularity." HalfHyde commented while he grounded leaves in a mortar. From above his glasses, he stared at the arrangement of utensils, flower pots and clay pots.

"Pa, what is taking so long?" Waverly inquired impatiently.

Judson had closed his eyes again and had become so still that once in a short while, she would push him to make him stir. Her heart pounded in her chest for fear that he would not stir the next time she pushed. HalfHyde was not a healer. The only person she knew that could heal Judson was Judson himself.

"Jud? Jud?" She called repeatedly, shaking him gently. She silently counted to twelve before his eyes fluttered open.

"Can you tell us what to do to treat you?" She asked, readjusting so that her face was nearer to his ear. She had since noticed how he smelled faintly of jasmine and now also, a mix of other fragrances from the leaves he usually worked with.

He gave no reply and his eyes slid shut again. Waverly sighed in exasperation. HalfHyde walked over with his mix and scooped up a spoonful.

"Whatever on earth is that revolting thing?" Waverly asked staring at the green liquid in the spoon, her face twisted in disgust.

"Fefor! Quite popular it is! A healing mix the Derews of Crysoton use for curing a burn such as what the boy suffers. It will subdue the sickness within hours." HalfHyde explained calmly.

Waverly was quite surprised that he did not get angry at the sharp tone she had used.

He put the spoon to Judson's lips and let the liquid drip into his mouth.

Waverly twisted her face even more, waiting for Judson to sputter the liquid out but he did not. He swallowed it in one gulp. Waverly could not help imagining that whatever the medicine was, it was the most acrid thing in all the land. She wondered why medicine did not taste like cotton sugar because that way it would be easier for sick folks to take them.

"Now, leave him be for a day at most. Sooner will recovery find him that way." HalfHyde said and wiped the sweat off his brows.

Waverly did not realize that she too had begun to sweat. Being near Judson felt like sitting too close to a bonfire.

"Are you sure he will be alright, Pa?" Waverly asked still. She did not trust her father's healing skills. Elves were the best teachers and fighters, but not the best healers. That was a job specifically for Crysotoni - Crystal fairies - according to her studies.

HalfHyde frowned then sighed. "Let us hope then, that he will be."

With that, the Elf rose up from his chair and held out his hand.

"Come! Leaving him be will help."

Waverly stared into Judson's face half hoping he would wake, grin and tell her he felt alright already but his eyes were still shut in a peaceful sleep. The pain was no longer visible on his face. That brought her some relief. She stood up, took HalfHyde's hand and allowed him lead her out of the tree house.

Later in the day, Waverly went back to the market to search for the Elfin but in her place was a Human. He denied knowledge of any She-Elf that had taken over his stall when Waverly questioned him. He further claimed that he had been there all day, only leaving for a few minutes to get lunch from his house.

Waverly headed back home feeling conflicted. She wanted to know who the strange Elfin was and why she had warned of a time that had come.

Did she mean the war? Had she known about Judson's fever?

Waverly figured that the Elfin was a healer but she knew better than to trust a stranger who could tell what would happen the next minute. If anything, she suspected that the Elfin was a deity. She had seen enough of them to know but then again, none had ever taken forms of disguises except for Edsel.

As she walked past Judson's tree late in the evening she glaced up at his door, wondering if he was awake then. She felt a compelling urge to go and check on him but HalfHyde had warned that she leave him alone to heal.

Waverly sighed and tried to walk away but her nerves began to go haywire. She impatiently tapped her fingers against her shorts, waiting for the feeling to pass but it did not. Like a thunderbolt, she raced up the tree and pushed open the door.

"Jud!" She screamed.

Judson was lying on his side with his face half buried on the floor next to his dining table. His black wing was under him and it smoked heavily as if it had been on fire only a few seconds ago. Waverly ran to kneel down next to him. Her heart hammered in her rib cage as she rolled him over and saw that his skin had gone ashy. His eyes were open, glazed white like tree sap.

"Jud!" She cried trying to shake him awake but he did not move. A strong feeling of helplessness and fear washed over her and tears streamed down her face.

Judson was not dead!

"Pa!" She screamed at the top of her lungs whilst continuously trying to pick him up but he had become as heavy as a pile of logs. His skin burned her hands but she ignored the pain.

Waverly almost choked on her own tears. Her mind raced like rushing waves as she tried to figure out what to do. She pulled Judson with her towards the window where the moon shone directly into the room.

"Mother, help him! Please!" She screamed into the night sky.

The moon only continued to shine in the way it had always done - silent and bright.

Nothing happened.

Waverly was about to scream a second time when HalfHyde rushed into the room. He raced towards them and his eyes almost popped out when he sighted Judson.

"By the light of Cret!" He exclaimed. He hurriedly gathered all of Judson's blankets and wrapped him in it then swiftly picked him up and out of the house.

After placing Judson down on the ground, he fumbled with his tunic and pulled out a few Elven coins then pressed them into Waverly's palm. Her face was still wet with tears and her eyes bulged in fear.

"Elf Huddersfield! Tell him give ye one carriage swiftly. We must visit someone with haste!" HalfHyde ordered.

Waverly wasted no second. She dashed across the lake, almost drowning the stones with the force of her feet, and raced into town with incredible speed.

The Honor of Light|
Book 02